CHENNAI: Continuing his diatribe against the DMK, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay on Wednesday said that it was the Dravidian party which had been the first to take refuge in the BJP and was among its “first slaves”.
He was responding to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s recent speech wherein he claimed certain parties were acting as the “new slaves” of the BJP in what was perceived as a veiled attack on the TVK. In his rebuttal, Vijay in a statement said that the CM had made remarks of “old slaves” and “new slaves” to amuse himself.
“While they were under the impression that they were throwing stones at us, they had only unmasked themselves, forgetting that they were standing right in front of the mirror,” he said. Recalling the Dravidian major’s past political alignment, Vijay said it was the DMK that had confused people with terms such as “common minimum programme” and aligned with the BJP between 1999 and 2003. “They were the first to witness the lotus bloom in TN,” he added.
Vijay alleged that his Erode public interaction programme was subjected to unprecedented restrictions, which, he said, were imposed under the guise of authority to prevent the party from reaching out to the people. “Despite numerous conditions and pressures, we successfully met the people and raised their voices,” he said. Vijay claimed that those who sought to curtail the TVK’s growth were now unsettled by the overwhelming public response, particularly from youth and women, and were worried that the same crowd would turn up at the polling booths to vote for him.
He accused political rivals of issuing contradictory narratives through (party mouthpiece) editorials and public statements, alleging attempts to discredit the party while inadvertently acknowledging its rising influence. Calling upon the party cadre to remain focused, Vijay urged them to strengthen grassroots work, especially voter list verification and enrolment of new voters.